Psychic chapter eight

Charlotte's POV

I was scared.

Sitting there, in my math class, there were so many living and yet so many dead. I saw so many ghosts.

There was Stella, with her red hair partially covered by even redder blood. Why wouldn't she leave me alone? She just stood there, weeping silently.

And behind me, there was a man who appeared to be deranged. He kept rolling back into his head, and he was singing unintelligibly and muttering to himself. It terrified me.

An elderly woman just wandered around the classroom, looking lost. I wished I could just block them out somehow!

 "Char? Are you okay?" I heard David say.

"I have a headache." I lied.

 "Do you want me to take you to the nurse?"

 "No, I'll be okay."

 "Are you sure?" David asked.

 " Yeah. "

 "Okay then." He said.

We sat in silence for a moment.

 "So, do you like math?"

 "It's okay, I guess. I'm pretty good at it." I told him.

 "Wish I was." David replied.

 "I can't spell, if it makes you feel any better."

 "Thanks." David's green eyes were intent on mine. God, how could eyes be so green?! I just couldn't look away from them.

 "You're welcome." I said. "So, has anything interesting happened lately?"

 "Yes, actually." He said. " I'm trying out for the soccer team today! "

 "Cool" I said. "Maybe I'll come and watch you."

 David beamed. "That would be awesome! Do you play any sports?"

 I shook my head. "No, but it there was  a swim team, I might. I love to swim."

 "So does my sister." David said. " Hey, the teacher still isn't here! Is she ever on time?

 "Never!" I said with a laugh. " that's why math is my favorite class! "

David chuckled.

 "So, do you have any brothers or sisters?"

 "Nah, I'm an only child." I was trying to play it cool, but I could still see the ghosts out of the corner of my eye.

 "Lucky." David said. " I love my sister, but she does crazy and uncalled for things sometimes. "

 "Like what?" I asked. I was trying to pay attention to him, but Stella was standing next to me, bawling her head off.

 "Like the time she wrote a twenty-seven page burn book about me. Might I add this was two years ago, when she was eight years old. It wasn't very good, but the fact that she went to all the trouble to write was insult enough." 

I made a sound that I hoped resembled a laugh.

 David looked concerned.

"Oh, there's a kid I babysit for who screamed at the top of her lungs for the neighbors to shut their dog up." I hoped a story would make him stop looking at me like that. I didn't need more people staring at me!

David burst into wild fits of laughter at my recollection.

Just then, the teacher walked in. We, and everyone else quieted down, but only a little. She wrote some problems in the board, instructed us to do them, and sat down with a mug of coffee and 'The Washington Post' newspaper.

I loved this class.

Math distracts me from reality. It's easier to tune out the ghosts if my brain is working hard. Unfortunately, getting so into it means I finish fast. I used to ask the teacher for harder problems, but I stopped when kids started beating me up over it.

As usual, I finished before anyone else. And as usual, Stella was there, staring up at me. "Breathe." I told myself mentally. "Remember: Fake it till you make it."

 David was looking at me again. I felt like an insect under a sheet of glass. But I wasn't going to say anything. Not when he actually seemed to like me.

My day just got worse and worse. I found notes in my locker, but I threw them out. I never read mean notes, because I already have enough suffering in my life.

Then, at lunch, I realized I forgot to bring food and didn't have any money with me. My school doesn't allow us to pay another time, only right away. My friends shared their lunch with me, but I wouldn't let them give me too much. It made me feel guilty even though I knew Cassie and John were just trying to help. No one except them talked to me since I didn't see David, and I really didn't feel like talking. I was exhausted and I wanted to go home.

I didn't want to deal with ghosts, or living people, or schoolwork. 

I was headed to my last class of the day when it happened. Stella had been following me on and off the whole day. Looking at her was starting to make me nauseous. I didn't go to the nurse, though, because I was fairly sure I wasn't actually sick. She wouldn't understand.

So, I was getting my things from my locker while trying to avoid looking at her, when I heard David talking to me.

 "Hey, Charlotte."

 I turned to looked at him, and in doing so, looked at Stella as well. That last thing was all it took to push me over the edge. My mind and body just couldn't take it anymore.

I threw up all over my crush.